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Modern + Earthy Primary Bath Suite Remodel Before and After

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“Bathroom of the Week: Open and Inviting With a Warm, Earthy Style” - as Featured on HOUZZ

Author Jeannie Matteucci - Houzz Contributor

An abundance of tile flooring and countertops and a glass-block wall might have seemed like a good idea 30 years ago when this couple built their home. But as time went on, the now-retired couple found the dizzying grids of grout lines impossible to keep clean.

Looking for an easy-to-clean style with warmth as well as improved storage, an easily accessible shower and updated lighting, the couple hired designer Lori Wallick, who swapped the locations of the shower and tub to create an efficient and airy layout that allowed for a larger low-curb shower. Large-format porcelain tiles in a creamy off-white minimize grout lines and establish a warm and welcoming look. A new custom Eastern black walnut double vanity adds more warmth and storage. And a Taj Mahal quartzite countertop, concrete sinks and a large concrete freestanding tub introduce an earthy, organic presence.

Featured
Before
Before

This photo of the former bathroom shows the enormous number of grout lines on the tiled countertops, flooring and tub surround, as well as the glass-block shower wall.

The colors of the tile were a mix of beige, peach, white and dark green. The layout was confining, with the massive tub and blocked-off shower eating up most of the square footage. The glass wall also blocked light and views from windows that look out to an expansive backyard and pool. “It closed off the bathroom,” Wallick says. “And it made it very narrow.”

After: Primary Bath Suite
After: Primary Bath Suite

Wallick stripped back the bathroom and rejiggered the layout to create a spacious low-curb shower along the back wall with two corner windows. A new concrete freestanding tub sits in place of the former shower. “It just felt like a better use of space,” Wallick says. “The old shower was pretty narrow.”

With the glass-block wall gone, the room enjoys more natural light and an airy feel. A frameless glass shower enclosure enhances the effect. “Removing that glass block really opened up the entire bathroom,” Wallick says.

She added decorative film to the bottom of the corner windows. “But there are really no issues with privacy because this home is so remote,” Wallick says of the 5-acre rural property. “They wanted to be able to see out.”

Large-format porcelain tiles in slightly different styles, sizes and shades of off-white for the main flooring and shower walls provide warm and durable surfaces that are easy for the homeowners to maintain. “The larger tiles mean less grout to clean, and they love that,” Wallick says.

The shower floor is made up of 2-by-2-inch tiles in the same shade and style as the main flooring. The extra grout lines there help create a nonslip surface. The same tiles are repeated in the shower niche.

Tan walls and trim (Natural Tan by Sherwin-Williams) and a beige paint for the ceiling (Sandbar by Sherwin-Williams) coordinate with the tile tones for a cohesive yet nuanced palette. “She wanted to keep it light but also warm,” Wallick says. “That Natural Tan is one of my favorite colors.”

After: Vanity
After: Vanity

The new Eastern black walnut custom double vanity features inset soft-close doors and drawers in two styles: Shaker for the doors and bottom two sets of drawers and flat-panel for the row of top drawers. “We were trying to marry that warm modern feel they both wanted,” Wallick says. “We selected Eastern black walnut right out of the gate and didn’t really look at anything else.”

The countertop and short backsplash are Taj Mahal quartzite with warm brown veining on a creamy white background that complements the rest of the palette in the bathroom.

Two earth-tone concrete sinks connect with the concrete tub opposite the vanity. Sleek gold-finish widespread faucets join brushed pewter cabinet pulls and hand-hammered copper mirrors for a mixed-metals look.

Linear LED lights above the mirrors have translucent faux porcelain resin shades with a wave design.

Before: Shower
Before: Shower
After: Shower
After: Shower

The shower includes a hand shower and rain shower head from the same line as the vanity faucets. The shower also features a grab bar and a bench for support.

After: Freestanding Concrete Tub
After: Freestanding Concrete Tub

The freestanding earth-tone concrete tub is from the same line as the sinks. It features a roomy interior and thick walls that provide insulation for long-lasting heat. “That tub weighs 550 pounds and it was quite a chore to get in the bathroom,” Wallick says. “The weight took four people to transport it. Make sure to measure before you try adding that kind of tub.”

A wall-mounted tub filler from the same collection as the faucets and shower fixtures saves space.

A petite yet glamorous chandelier above the tub features a cluster of seven LED luminaires, hand-finished in dark bronze and gold leaf.

Before
Before

This view of the former bathroom looks toward the entrance, at right, and the water closet, at left, that the homeowners wanted to keep. Notice the abundance of small tile flooring that extended into the water closet. The homeowners wanted to maintain the linen cabinet storage but replace the awkward angle design.

After: Linen Closet and Water Closet
After: Linen Closet and Water Closet

The updated water closet features the same large-format porcelain floor tile and a new white one-piece elongated skirted toilet with washlet and bidet toilet seat. “We kept the light above the toilet,” Wallick says. “It just fit the space.”

A new Eastern black walnut custom linen cabinet coordinates with the double vanity.

Lori K Design Studio in Chico, California, United States on Houzz

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